There’s now one less excuse not to use a password manager

LastPass is making its password manager a much better option for people who don’t want to pay. As of today, it’s opening up to everyone the ability to sync passwords between an unlimited number of devices — something that used to be available only to subscribers.

Free users were previously limited to syncing LastPass to a single app, which is pretty limiting in a world where you very possibly need to access those passwords across multiple PCs, a phone, and a tablet. Now, there are no longer any big restrictions on the free version of LastPass (though it’s still offering a $1 per month subscription with some additional features).

Like other password managers, LastPass can be used to generate strong and unique passwords, keep track of which sites and services they belong to, and then enter them when needed. LastPass stores all passwords in the cloud, making them accessible from anywhere. That makes syncing simple, though it also opens the service up to some security concerns (ones that its competitors face as well).

Still, using LastPass or any other password manager is going to be a significant step forward for most people when it comes to security. We’ve seen a steady stream of hacks this year that have compromised usernames and passwords from major sites. Using a password manager lets you use a different password in every location, minimizing the potential fallout of a password leaking out. Password managers can be a bit of a hassle to use (compared to typing in a single memorized password), but it’s worth the effort.